Otti Pushes ahead with Planned Campaign Flag-off

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Alex Otti has brushed aside the hurdles created by the Abia State government, saying that his campaign flag-off slated for Thursday (today)would go ahead as planned.

Otti’s resolve to proceed with his campaign flag-off was contained in a statement issued yesterday  by the State Coordinator of the The Alex Otti Campaign Council, Hon Iheanacho Obioma to clear the dust raised by government’s hysteria.

“The government’s false alarm and the negative publicity it is giving to our planned rally is a well thought out fraudulent strategy aimed at causing  confusion amongst our supporters with the intention of scaring them away from the rally,” Obioma said.

The choice of Ngwa High School Aba as venue for the rally had sparked hysteria in government circle with led to uncoordinated response as two commissioners issued statements with different degrees of intensity.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Eze Chikamnayo out rightly accused Otti of planning to unleash vandalism on a public school and vowed that government would not give him access to Ngwa High School or any other public facility.

However, the Commissioner for Post Basic Education, Chijioke I. Mark, was more  conciliatory in his approach. In a letter he addressed to the state Chairman of LP he  “strongly advised (LP) to seek alternative venues to avoid disruption of academic activities in the school”.

But this claim has been faulted by  Obioma who argued that the school is presently on mid-term break hence there was no way the rally would disrupt academic activities.

He also explained that Ngwa High School “does not belong to Abia state government, (but) to a private religious institution, the Aba-Ngwa North Diocese of Anglican Communion which had since given us the necessary approvals after payment was made and received”.

The Coordinator of the Alex Otti Campaign  Council accused “unproductive appointees of Abia government” of stoking  controversy with “some disjointed and disgusting press statements which are geared towards disrupting the LP rally billed for Thursday.”

“The owners and management of the facility who have better knowledge of the vicinity and who had exhibited moral obligation to protect the welfare and wellbeing of their students than Abia state government understood that our rally will pose no threat of any kind to the facilties and students,” Hon Obioma said.

According to him, the management of Ngwa High School gave approval for use of the facility based on the knowledge that even if the school were in session the LP rally would not affect students “whose classrooms are far away from the venue”.

The former federal lawmaker stated that Abia government was playing double standard as the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been using public schools for rallies, adding that government was always easily agitated once Otti’s name was mentioned

“Just a few days ago the PDP held similar rallies at Osusu Amaukwa and Umuakatawom primary schools respectively in Obingwa while schools were in session. Does this not show hypocrisy and double speak by the same government?

“Our party had applied to use the Aba Township Stadium (Enyimba Stadium) but the state government turned down our request on the grounds that the pitch is a synthetic turf and thus will be destroyed if we hold our rally there”.

 Obioma noted that the Abia LP governorship hopeful understood the value of education and has over the years sustained a well-organised scholarship scheme for Abians, adding that Otti would never engage in anything that could harm education, students and infrastructure.

He said: “If the Ikpeazu led government had any respect for our students and teachers, nor attached a modicum of importance to the welfare of Abians, the governor would not have abandoned protesting workers and pensioners to go to Benue to dance like one who won a championship trophy.

“We wish to advise governor Okezie Ikpeazu to distance himself from his overzealous aides and allies who are encouraging him to resort to violence as a strategy to enthrone his anointed candidate.

“Such advisers and allies do not mean well for the governor because they do not understand the implications and consequences of their action”.